This assignment asks us to examine the contemporary state of unions in the U.S. as well as the role of unions in other Western industrialized countries (e.g., Sweden). View the documentary film Labor Action! Fifteen Fights in the Battle for a Better World (2012); then, answer the questions below.
Responses for this assignment will be based on a) quality of writing (e.g., spelling/grammar, organization), b) insight, reasoning, and/or persuasiveness, and c) scholarship (e.g., number and quality of sources, use of citations). Completed assignments are due no later than 11:55pm Friday, February 26th.
1. List the fifteen “fights” referred to in the film’s title:
2. In the film, journalist Harold Meyerson notes the declining unionization rate from a peak of 40% in 1954 to 7% in 2011. Check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) – what is it now?
a. In the private sector?
b. In the public sector?
3. Some students are surprised to learn that Martin Luther King, Jr was a leader on labor issues as well as civil rights. In fact, just prior to his assassination, MLK was in Memphis, Tennessee to support a sanitation union that was on strike over unfair wages and racial discrimination. However, even as gifted and charismatic as he was, MLK needed the right set of circumstances. In The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, Aldon Morris (1984) contends King’s power was the result of a strong organizational base rooted in the black church, yet labor unions also arguably played a role. Go online and read about the involvement of labor unions in the civil rights movement; then write a brief summary (~1¶). Include a list of your source(s) at the conclusion of the assignment under a section labeled ‘References’.
4. Unite Here president John Wilhelm repeatedly mentions the New Deal; take a moment to examine some of the New Deal legislation, especially the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (aka the Wagner Act) and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 . Go online and read about these legislative acts; then write a brief summary(~1¶). Include a list of your source(s) at the conclusion of the assignment under a section labeled ‘References’.
5. How many rooms do non-union workers at Hyatt have to clean per day? Note that this includes not just making the beds or changing the linens but also vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing toilets, sinks, and baths!
a. Non-union hotel workload:
b. Union hotel workload:
6. Is it distaste for drawn out conflicts like the Disney and Hyatt campaigns that keeps 93% of private sector workers from unions? What does John Wilhelm suggest? (≤1¶)
7. The film notes that, “according to a 2007 study, % of workers want a union”. Go online and find a more recent survey and/or polling data. How many Americans support having unions in the workplace? Be sure to cite your source(s) and provide a reference at the conclusion of the assignment.
8. In the section ‘Meet The World’s Strongest Unions, we learn that Sweden is heavily unionized, both among blue and white-collar workers.
a. The Swedish Trade Union Organization (LO) has members in trade unions.
b. Out of the 4.6 million workers in the Swedish labor market, approximately percent are unionized.
9. According to the film, what are the two secrets to Sweden’s success?
10. Your turn! What are your thoughts or views regarding labor unions? You can write about any aspect of labor unions – politics, laws, public opinion, trends, as institutions, specific industries, outcomes – as long as it is thematically related to labor unions (2-3¶). Include a thematic title (e.g., “As Go Unions, So Goes the Middle Class”) and be sure to cite at least one (1) source in your response and provide a reference of any works cited under the References section at the conclusion of the paper.
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